Mechanical picture-card.



J. M. WALCUTT.

MECHANICAL PICTURE CARD.

APPLICATION IILED MAYG, 1909.

Patented Sept. 6,1910.

amen/{36W JOHN MAC v WALCUTTI JOHN MACY WALCUTT, oemaw YORKQN,

MECHANICAL PICTURE-CARD; F

'To. all whoni it may concern:

Be it known that LwIOHN MAoY WAL- cc'rr, a citizen of. the .UnitedStates, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMechanical Picture-Cards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relatesto mechanical picture cards, the object being toproduce a device simple of construction and cheap of manufacture, bywhich an advertisement,

greeting, reminder, or the like may be presented in a particularlypleasing or striking manner.

in carrying out my invention I employ a tube formed of flexible sheetmaterial having one or more slots therein, and flattened to resemble asimnle rectangular card; said tube containing interiorly located flapsor tongues positioned in alinement with said slots and adapted to becaused to protrude through the same when the tube is detormed bymanipulation.

It is proposed that the outer surfaces of the card carry printed matterand an ap ropriate pictare-preferablyan incomplete pictureand that theinclosed tongues or flaps carry relative matter that when exposed willmake an important addition to or complete the matter on the body of thecard: the idea being that the full force and meaning of the card shallnot become apparent until the same has been manipulated and the tonguesor flaps made visible.

The invention consists in the combination of parts hereinafter describedand claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a perspective view showing the parts of the device in normalposition: Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating another position: Fig. 3is a sectional view on line 3-43 of Fig. 1: Fig. 4 is a section on line44 of Fig. 2: Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of F1". 2' and F1". 6 is a)l'an of a blank from which the complete device may be made.

Referring to the drawings by reference signs -1 denotes'broadlyanoelongated sheet of paper or other flexible material, scored orcreased on lines a. b, 1*,(1, c. and f. and having one straight edge 2.to which pastefip. may he applied, and an oppositely located irregularlyformed edge 3. comprising the three separate tongues 4, 5 and 6. Locatedapproximately midway between the edges 2 Specification of LettersPatent. 1 Application filed may s, 1909, sem No. #9 1,351 Q] .t, w

assesses and'3.are elongatedslots l 8 9, posi- I tioned in alinementWith tongues and 6, respectively, but 'out'of alinem ent with eachother.

The tube is forme ends of the blank together, the scored or creasedlines it and e coinciding, and the tongues 4, o and tibeingleft free andinteriorly of the tube. The tube is then flattened to the shape shown inFig. 1, the bending taking place on the creased or scored lines I) and(I, and the coincident lines a and 0, before referred to. In thiscondition it will be seen that the creased or scored linesb and (I liebetween the edges aand a of the card: the slot H at the edge and theslots 7 and 5) respectively. on opposite sides of the card. ()bviouslypressure exerted transversely against the edges .1 and a" will cause thesides 10 and 12 ot' the card to separateas indicated in Fig. 3: and ifsuch pressure be continued the tongues 4, 5 and 6 will be caused to passthrough their respective slots 7. S and 9 and the card to assume theshape shown in Figs. 2 and 4. bending along the scored or creased linesI) and ii.

The several scorings or creasings a, b, 0, d, and e, determine the linesalong which the card may bend whenmanipulated. and by making distancesc--?), and c-a, greater than distances ba and (I-c. a result is obtainedwhich is an important feature of the present invention. In Figs. .2. -tand it will be noted that the upper and lower sides of tne tube arespaced apart and cannot be made to lie parallel as long as the bendingtakes place on the pie-determined lines before mentioned. This arch-likeformation provides a support for thetongues above the points where saidtongues are hinged and so prevents the same from collapsing even whenmade of very thin material.

In the position shown in Fig. 1 the sides of the flat-tenetttnbe areparallel.

The slots 4. 5 and 6. are intended to be of ample dimensions relative tothe tongues,:- so that the latter may pass freely therethrough, but forthe purpose of locking'the device in the position shown in Fig. 2, atleast one of the tongues is provided with projecting shoulders 14. whichare located near the base or hinged edge-of said tongue and are adaptedtobe engaged by-restricted portions S' of said slots with sutlieientfrictional force to prevent self collapse of the structure.

Pressure against edges 2 and 2 will dis- H d-by pasting the two" engageshoulders 14 and cause the tongues to be withdrawn, the tube reformingitself to the fiat shape shown in Fig. 1.

The tongues and the outer surfaces of the card may be decorated in anydesired manner. In the present instance the card is supposed to becolored and printed to represent the sea, which decoration extends fromthe edge 1*, to the scored or creased line b. The other side of the cardis similarly decorated from edge as to creased or scored line d, whilethe tongues are cut out and decorated to represent a rock and two battleships, respectively.

In normal position (Fig. 1) the tongues are concealed, the cardappearing exactly the same on both sides, each side carrying printedmatter and a portion of the pictured sea. But when the card ismanipulated in the manner described all printed matter will betransferred to the underside of the card while the upper surface thereofwill appear completely covered by the pictured sea, the rock and shipsrising therefrom in vertical planes.

In order to more closely imitate an actual scene the slots 7, 8 and 9are located in different planes, so that the tongues 4, 5 and 6 whenprotruded, will appear in the foreground, middle distance, andback-ground of the surface of the card respectively, see Fig. .3, thetongues 4 and 6 having extensions 4, and (3', which are adapted to bebent in opposite directions from the scored line a and pasted to thebody of the blank, see Figs. 4 and 5, so that said tongues may be hingedat points remote from the scored line e, and in alinement with theirrespective slots.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In devices of the character described a tubular collapsible bodyhaving a slot and an interiorly located tongue in alinement with andgenerally smaller than said slot and adapted to be protruded throughsaid slot when said body is deformed by pressure, said slot having aportion thereof of restricted dimensions, and said tongue having anextension located remote from the free end thereof and adapted tofrictionally engage said restricted portion for the purpose set forth.

2. In devices of the character described a flattened tubular body havingslots in the sides thereof and adapted to be deformed by pressureapplied transversely to opposite edges thereof, tongues hingedinteriorly of said tube and adapted to be protruded through said slotswhen the tube is deformed, and means for locking said tongues inprotruded position.

. '3. In devices of the character described a flattened tubular bodyhaving slots in the sides thereof and adapted to be deformed by pressureapplied transversely to opposite edges thereof in either of twodirections, and having two sets of creased or scored lines fordetermining the shape of said tube under such pressure, one set ofcreased or scored lines being located in aplane at right angles to theplane of the other set and to one side of the center of said plane,tongues hinged interiorly of said tube and adapted to be protrudedthrough said slots in one position of said tube, and concealed withinsaid tube in the other position thereof, and means for looking saidtongues in protruded position.

4. In devices of the character described a slotted tubular body havingan interiorly lo cated tongue adapted to be protruded through said slot.and longitudinal creases whereby the tubular body may be flattened; saidcreases in such flattened condition present-ing edges or corners adaptedto be urged toward each other by lateral pressure applied in oppositedirections against sald edges or corners whereby the tubular body may bedeformed; said body having auxiliary creases for determining the lineson which said deformation may take place, the auxiliary creases in suchdeformed condition presenting edges or corners adapted to be urgedtoward each other by lateral pres sure applied in opposite directionsagainst said edges or corners whereby said tube may be returned tooriginal condition; the aforesaid tongue being adapted to be concealedwithin the tube in the flattened condition thereof. and protrudedthrough the slot therein in the deformed condition thereof.

5. In devices of the character described'a slotted tubular body formedof a single piece of sheet material and having an interiorly locatedtongue adapted to be protruded through said slot and two sets oflongitudinal, parallel creases whereby said tube may be flattened bypressure applied in either of two directions, one set of creases beingspaced apart a distance equal to a diameter of said tube and the otherset a distance equal to less than a diameter thereof, whereby in one ofits flattened positions the sides of the body will lie parallel and inthe other relatively arched, the aforesaid tongue being adapted to beconcealed within the tube when the sides thereof lie parallel, andprotruded through the slot therein when the sides are relatively arched.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this21th day of April A. D. 1909.

JOHN MACY WALCUTT.

Witnesses:

WALDO M. Cnarm, FRANK S. Oman.

